SAVANNAH, Ga. – The Coast Guard Barque Eagle, “America’s Tall Ship,” is scheduled to arrive Friday at River Street City Pier in Savannah for a three day visit to the city.
Free ship tours will be available for the public Friday from 3 p.m. until 5 p.m, and Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m.

Eagle, homeported in New London, Conn., is the only square-rigged ship in active-government service and was originally commissioned as the Horst Wessel in 1936 for duty as a German sail training ship. Since 1946, Eagle has sailed each summer in support of U.S. Coast Guard officer training programs, which exposes future Coast Guard leaders to their first taste of life at sea. The 74-year old Eagle is a 295-foot, three-masted square-rigger with more than 23,500 square feet of sail and six miles of rigging.

To follow Eagle’s summer cruise on Facebook, go to http://www.facebook.com/coastguardcuttereagle